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Copying detailed anatomy drawings

After seeing the streaming class on anatomy for artists by Marshall Vandruff 2 weeks ago, I bought myself David K Rubins book: "The Human Figure - An anatomy for artists' and the big George Bridgman book.

For the past week I have been drawing heads only out of big shapes and blocks just as Bridgman explains in his book.
Now I want to copy a skull drawing out of Rubins book which is very detailed and I am having a lot of troubles with it.
I dont really know how to start out copying these detailed anatomy drawings and soon I am erasing and changing all the shapes to get everything to work.

I was wondering how other people here go about copying detailed anatomy drawings.
Do you start out with the big shapes and build from '3D' or do you copy stroke for stroke much more like a '2D' approach if you know what I mean.

I dont really know how to start out copying these detailed anatomy drawings and soon I am erasing and changing all the shapes to get everything to work.

This is where you've gone wrong - you don't start copying the details, you start by drawing the overall forms that Bridgman had you draw first. They help you understand the shapes that you're constantly erasing and changing - if you approach it only from the details, then your overall proportions and shapes get muddled because they weren't focused on in your process.

You start (with a light pencil or something you can draw over) with the large blocks and shapes so that A. You get the basic shape of the scull correct, just like Bridgman teaches you. Provided you get this step correct then you have a decently proportioned basic outline of the skull.

THEN you move on to what Rubins (Perhaps you mean Rubens) does, which is the little details. Remember how you said you're constantly changing all the shapes? Now that you have a large reference to where all the little details go on the big form, you can go in and accurately layer those little shapes over the overall forms.

Originally Posted by Seb Ikso

Do you start out with the big shapes and build from '3D' or do you copy stroke for stroke much more like a '2D' approach if you know what I mean.

So essentially this is where you're closer to it, you start out with big shapes and layer the little details over it. If you're goal is to create accurate forms then always try and relate 3D forms in your head, not 2D.

One more thing - Don't copy, understand. You're doing these studies so you know how the head is constructed, you're not just trying to replicate what your reference looks like exactly.

this sounds like the logical thing to do, just so hard to just not dive into all the cool details

Oh hell yes, I know exactly what you mean. When my drawing for dummies 101 lecturer told me that I was doing it wrong, it completely broke my ability to draw because I would render all the details in one arm before even moving onto the rest of the picture. But before that my proportion, anatomy and composition all suffered as a result, but god I could lose myself for thirty or forty hours on one drawing just going from detail to the next. I loved it.

Nowadays I'm doing the opposite where I'm trying to get the overall pose and overall image done as quickly as possible and my attention to detail and rendering quality is suffering. It's all about forming good habits built in strong foundations I'm right with you man.